Inflation
Bank of England Inflation Attitudes Survey, Nov 06
The Bank of England published its November 2006 Inflation Attitudes Survey on Thursday 14 December. UK inflation expectations for the coming year rose to 2.7 pct in November from 2.5 pct in August, the survey found.
Fullani on the Bank of Albania's progress
In the speech 'Bank of Albania - progress during 2006' given on 8 December Ardian Fullani of the Bank of Albania said that we are carefully evaluating the degree to which the preconditions are met before shifting to fully fledged inflation targeting in…
Villepin wants clarification of ECB role
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin called on Monday 12 December to "clarify the roles" of European Central Bank (ECB), amid talk regarding the recent high levels of the euro.
Bernanke promotes Fed's profile, not his
According to this article published by Bloomberg on Monday 11 December, deflating the aura around his job may be Ben Bernanke's greatest triumph so far at the Federal Reserve.
Bernanke may clash with democratic Congress
According to the article 'Bernanke may clash with democratic Congress on wages, inflation' from Bloomberg, published Thursday 7 December, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke may be heading for a showdown with congressional Democrats over warnings from…
Brazil central bank considered rate cut
Brazil's central bank said Thursday 7 December in minutes from its last Copom meeting that it doesn't expect an eventual pick up in economic activity to stoke inflation.
RBNZ Monetary Policy Statement, December 2006
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand published its December 2006 Monetary Policy Statement on 7 December. The report said medium-term inflation pressures remain persistent.
ECB raises interest rates to 3.5%
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said Thursday 7 December it was essential to act in a "firm and timely manner" to safeguard price stability in the eurozone,after the bank raised interest rates from 3.25pct to 3.5pct.
BoJ's Nishimura concerned over slow consumption
Bank of Japan board member Kiyohiko Nishimura said in a speech on Wednesday 6 December further interest rate hikes by the BoJ are expected to be "gradual" as far as inflation expectations remain low, adding he is "greatly concerned" about slow domestic…
Zambia converting debt into marketable securities
The Zambian government has converted part of its long term debt owed to the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) into short-to-medium term marketable government securities in a move to boost the central bank's scope for liquidity management in the economy, the Times of…
IMF paper on goal-independent central banks
The IMF Working Paper "Goal-independent central banks: Why politicians decide to delegate" develops a model which explains why the expected negative relationship between central bank independence and inflation is not empirically robust.
ECB's Papademos on monetary policy
In the speech 'Monetary policy in a changing world: Commitment, strategy and credibility' given on 1 December Lucas Papademos of the ECB said that the ECB's policy for fighting inflation had been proven successful in the period since Europe adopted a…
SA's Mboweni unconcerned about rand
The governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Tito Mboweni, is unperturbed by the level of the rand, but remains worried about rising debt levels and rampant consumer spending.
Brazil cuts rates by half a point
The Central Bank of Brazil lowered its benchmark lending rate by 50 basis points to 13.25 on Wednesday in the face of falling growth.
Core CPI still "uncomfortably high" - Bernanke
Fed chairman, Ben Bernanke, appeared to pour cold water on suggestions of an imminent cut in US interest rates in a speech in New York on 28 November.
RBA: Separating "signal" from "noise" in inflation
Estimating underlying inflation is crucial in monetary-policy making that uses "noisy" CPI data in forecasting. In a recent speech Tony Richards, head of economic analysis at the RBA, set out work the central bank has done in this area.
UK's Lomax: rate hike was inflation 'insurance'
Rachel Lomax, a deputy governor at the Bank of England suggested that successive interest rate hikes by the Bank this year were akin to "buying insurance" against possible inflation spikes.
Room for improvement in Riksbank's monetary policy
A parliamentary report into Sweden's monetary policy says that while the Riksbank compares favourably with other central banks in terms of monetary policy, the persistent undershooting of its inflation target in recent years means there is room for…
UK rates have peaked - OECD
British interest rates are likely to have hit their peak according to the OECD's latest Economic Report, released on 28 November.
Canada to research inflation target
Although the Bank of Canada's inflation target will remain at 2% for the next five years, the central bank has announced a major research project on the benefits of lowering the target.
Bank of Israel cuts rates again
The Bank of Israel lowered its benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points on 27 November. This second reduction in two months takes rates to 5%.
Mexico holds rates despite inflation spike
On 24 November, the Bank of Mexico held its benchmark lending rate at 7%, as expected, for a seventh straight month. The central bank also indicated that the recent increase in inflation would be temporary.
Euro entry unpredictable - Hungarian CB chief
The National Bank of Hungary believes it is no longer possible to say when the country will be ready to join the euro.
Lower growth, inflation forecast in US - survey
The rate of growth in US output over the next few quarters looks slower now than it did just three months ago, according to 51 forecasters surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.